University of Victoria
October 2009
Dual Career Couple Employment Assistance
Guidelines for Deans, University Librarian, Chairs and Directors
The employment of a spouse or partner may be critical to the successful relocation of a faculty member/librarian. The University of Victoria recognizes this need and has developed a program to assist those regular faculty members/librarians and their families who are new to the Greater Victoria area. The eligibility criteria and procedures are outlined below. It should be noted that while this program provides valuable assistance, it does not guarantee that a position will be obtained. It is expected that the spouse/partner will be actively engaged in seeking employment and will retain responsibility for the job search process.
Section I Eligibility
The spouse or partner of a regular faculty member or librarian new to the Greater Victoria Area is eligible to participate in the program. The spouse and/or partner must be legally entitled to work in Canada and be actively engaged in seeking employment. In addition, the spouse/partner must apply for the program within one year of arrival in Victoria. An extension may be granted by the vice-president academic and provost in exceptional circumstances (e.g. family issues, completion of a course of study, illness) including when spousal employment has become an issue of faculty/librarian retention.
Section II Procedures
Please note that there are two sets of procedures outlined below, one for those spouses/partners seeking non-academic positions and one for those interested in academic positions.
II – A Procedures for positions other than academic positions:
1. The head of the academic unit that has employed the faculty member/librarian (chair/director/dean/university librarian as appropriate) will forward a brief written request to the director, faculty renewal and academic leadership initiatives for access to the program (). The request will specify the name, the employment status and the date of appointment of the faculty member/librarian. It will also include a current resume, citizenship status and contact information for the spouse/partner. In a situation where the spouse/partner does not meet the criteria noted above but where the head of the academic unit feels that there is a strong case for an exception to be made, the head should outline this case briefly within the written request.
2. The director, faculty renewal will contact the spouse/partner and arrange a confidential meeting to discuss his/her needs and the service available.
3. Spouses/partners interested in campus employment will receive a brief informational interview, incorporating an overview of application procedures and an awareness of the hiring limitations inherent in a unionized environment. Where appropriate niversity of Victoria vacancies are identified, either at the initial meeting or subsequently, faculty renewal will contact the relevant human resources consultant and request that they notify the department that a participant in the program has applied and that the individual should be given careful consideration. This process will ensure that the applicant is differentiated from the many other external applicants but is not given an advantage over internal candidates.
4. Where warranted, faculty renewal will contact the external career consultant and arrange for access to their services. As appropriate for the individual spouse/partner, these resources may include career exploration and decision-making, review and revision of work search tools (cover letters, curricula vita, resumes, portfolios, etc.), work search strategies for the local labour market, employer research and contacts and interview coaching. Service is generally limited to a maximum of five sessions per spouse/partner. The cost is borne by the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost.
5. The employment assistance process is confidential. Beyond an indication that the spouse/partner has made use of the program, information will be shared with the head of the academic unit only with the permission of the spouse/partner and the faculty member/librarian.
II – B Procedures for academic positions:
The University of Victoria is committed to fostering an environment where prospective and newly appointed faculty and librarians feel comfortable revealing their need for spouse/partner employment assistance, without fear of a negative impact on their own careers. The head of the academic unit employing the faculty member/librarian (chair/director/dean/university librarian as appropriate) provides leadership in establishing this climate.
Spouse/partner employment may be a factor in faculty/librarian retention situations when a partner completes a PhD or post doctoral fellowship, when a limited term or sessional appointment for a partner comes to an end, when a faculty member/librarian acquires a new partner or when faculty/librarian partners at different institutions decide that they would like to reside in the same city. Partners can be considered for spouse/partner employment assistance provided that the faculty member/librarian meets the criteria of the retention adjustments provisions of the Framework Agreement, Article 74.13, demonstrating that (a) there is a high market demand for persons with the credentials and experience of the original faculty member/librarian; (b) they have a meritorious record of service demonstrated by annual evaluations and merit decisions; (c) that they play a key role in their unit; and (d) they are likely to be recruited by another university and will be difficult to replace.
In any case in which the unit head becomes aware that a spouse/partner employment issue is a factor in recruiting or retaining a regular faculty member/librarian:
1. The unit head should obtain the partner’s CV and details of the partner’s employment interests. This information should be relayed to the dean/university librarian.
2. If the partner’s field is within the Dean’s Faculty, the Dean will contact the Chair of the relevant Department to discuss options. If the partner’s field falls within another faculty, the dean will contact the dean of the relevant faculty to discuss options. Deans will likely involve relevant chairs/directors in these discussions. Some of the options that might be considered are: post doctoral fellowships, sessional appointments, limited term appointments, senior instructor appointments and tenure stream appointments. The appointment guidelines for each option are described in Section III.
3. If either partner is a librarian, the university librarian will review the options. Some of the options that might be considered are limited term appointments or regular librarian appointments. The appointment guidelines for each option are described in Section III.
4. In certain cases, the dean or university librarian may wish to consult with the director, faculty renewal to discuss possibilities within the university or unique complications, such as perceived conflicts of interest. It is anticipated that the faculties/libraries involved will negotiate financial arrangements. All spousal hires take place in a context of competing demands for resources. There is no special fund allocated within the university for such situations. The funding of a spousal appointment would be an appropriate use of a unit’s enrolment management funds. In exceptional situations where sufficient funds cannot be found, the dean(s)/university librarian may forward a request to the vice-president academic and provost, outlining the circumstances involved, the funding being committed by each unit, and the necessity for assistance from the VPAC.
Non-competitive appointments:
Where exceptional circumstances exist, it may be in the interest of the academic unit and of the university to waive the requirement of an open competition. The vice-president academic must be consulted before any discussion of this option is entered into.
Under the Framework Agreement, a direct appointment without competition is covered by section 10.6.2(b). Under that provision, such an appointment can only occur when authorized by the vice-president academic and provost.
Non-competitive appointments may be made only where: (a) there is, in fact, a vacant position or a clear plan for the establishment of such a position (with resources); (b) there is a request from the department through the dean or university librarian requesting the appointment and explaining the exceptional circumstances that justify the waiver of a competition; (c) the candidate goes through the usual appointment process (interview, presentation etc.), and is recommended by the ARPT/appointments advisory committee (and FAC where that is the faculty's usual procedure). There must be a high degree of consensus in the department before such an appointment will be made.
In the case of faculty/librarian partners, some or all of the following circumstances must be demonstrated: (1) the appointing department has an area of need, and the candidate suits the position very well; (2) that candidate is excellent, and clearly meets the department's standards for appointment (i.e. would be a strong, and possibly preferable, candidate were there to be an open competition); (3) the appointment might enable the department to attract/retain an outstanding scholar; (4) the appointment would enable the department to recruit in a field or subfield where there have been previous recruitment challenges.
Section III Types of Appointments and Search Requirements
a) Post-doctoral fellowship: The partner could be encouraged to apply for independent funding for a post-doctoral fellowship through the appropriate granting council. Alternatively, the dean may investigate opportunities for a post-doctoral fellowship with an existing research group at UVic. Under exceptional circumstances, the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost may be able to contribute some matching funds. The Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost also has a top-up program for SSHRC post doctoral fellowship holders that may be applicable in certain cases, subject to available funds. The top-up program is outlined in Section IV.
b) Sessional appointments: Sessional appointments can be made provided that the opportunity is posted in accordance with the terms of the CUPE 4163 agreement and that seniority and long service rights enshrined in the collective agreement are respected.
c) Limited term appointments: A limited term appointment could be offered for up to one year without an open competition or for longer, provided that an open competition is conducted as per d) below. A limited term appointment is suitable only where it can be shown that there is an “added value” being given to the department or to the university that could not be achieved through a sessional appointment. Please note the maximum period for which an individual can hold a limited term appointment.
d) Tenure-track, tenured, senior instructor or librarian positions: Under exceptional circumstances, the Office of the Vice-President Academic and Provost may approve a regular faculty or librarian appointment. Under the Framework Agreement, a direct appointment without competition is covered by section 10.6.2(b). Under that provision, such an appointment can only occur when authorized by the vice president academic and provost.
A non-competitive appointments may be made only where: (a) there is, in fact, a vacant position or a clear plan for the establishment of such a position (with resources); (b) there is a request from the department through the dean/university librarian requesting the appointment and explaining the exceptional circumstances that justify the waiver of a competition; (c) the candidate goes through the usual appointment process (interview, presentation, etc.) and is recommended by the ARPT/appointments advisory committee (and FAC where that is the faculty's usual procedure). There must be a high degree of consensus in the department before such an appointment will be made.
In the case of faculty/librarian partners, some or all of the following circumstances must be demonstrated: (1) the appointing department has an area of need, and the candidate suits the position very well; (2) that candidate is excellent, and clearly meets the department's standards for appointment (would be a strong, and possibly preferable, candidate were there to be an open competition); (3) the appointment might enable the department to attract/retain an outstanding scholar; (4) the appointment would enable the department to recruit in a field or subfield where there have been previous recruitment challenges.
Section IV SSHRC Post Doctoral Fellowship Top-up Program
The aim of this program is to attract outstanding post-docs to the University of Victoria, and to partially redress the differential amounts of research funding arising from the CRC and CFI programs, which have not favoured the SSHRC disciplines.
A top-upfor SSHRC post-doctoral fellows will be provided to encourage people holding such awards to come to the University of Victoria, through appointing those individuals as teachers. The added attraction for these individuals is that they will receive teaching experience as a limited term faculty member.
The arrangement will be that SSHRC post doctoral fellows will be appointed as a 0.33 FTE limited term assistant professor for one year, subject to renewal based on satisfactory performance. If performance expectations are met, the top-up may be extended for the duration of the award. Under the guidelines of the SSHRC post-doctoral program, the individual can teach 3.0 units per year.
The arrangement will work as follows:
- Funding a SSHRC PDF
Stipend: $ 38,000
Top Up:
Department/Faculty commitment $ 8,707
VPAC commitment $ 12,500
- The VPAC’s commitment is premised upon the assumption that the PDF will teach 2 courses and that this in fact increases the teaching capacity of the academic unit (i.e. this is not simply a substitution for existing resources).
- Departments wishing to take advantage of this program should notify me, through their dean, prior to making any commitments (so we are able to keep track of potential costs). Of course, departments may make such commitments themselves without prior notice to or approval from the VPAC. However, in the event that there are insufficient central funds, the department would be expected to find the necessary resources to honour the commitment.
- The stipend paid to the PDF is in the nature of monthly salary, and is not based on a per-course rate. Thus, if the PDF receives the salary for several months but for some reason departs (or accepts an academic position thus terminating their fellowship) before commencing their teaching, they retain the stipend paid to that point. Conversely, where they teach their course and then depart, the university's commitment comes to an end at that time. However, if the monthly salary paid to that point is, in total, less than the appropriate salary for a sessional, we may pay the difference.
Requests for PDF top-up funds will be distributed on a “first come first serve” basis until the fund of $60,000 per annum is entirely committed.
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